64 Litre New Tank

[LeFondre]

Hi,

I have finally got my tank cycled and have added some fish over the past 14 days or so. My tank is 64 litres and I have got a Bristlenose Pleco, 3 Platys and then yesterday I added 4 male Guppies. I unfortunately found out yesterday that 2 of my Platys are Male and 1 Female, could this cause issues?

I have a few live plants, and the pleco is only a baby and has some wood to chew on - I have tried feeding him with Catfish pellets, a small bit of cucumber and even a pea..but yet to see him actually eat a thing. He does spend a lot of time chewing wood and sucking all over the glass of the tank.

My plan is to eventually add a Fighting Fish and then a couple of Neon Tetras or similar small fish. Is there maybe a more suitable fish to a Fighting Fish? I want something a bit different, that could get on with the other fish in my tank. I'm going to leave this tank as it is for a few weeks anyway just to make sure there are no problems, but the water tests are always good.

Thanks

p.s. I can add photos if this helps with any advice etc!!

 

[mike455555]

what plants do you have some cat's eat some plants other dont as far as i know, you wont be able to add a betta (fighting fish) because it will chase and kill the guppies theres not a problem with 2 male platys and 1 female, besides babys (they bread like mad)

 

[LeFondre]

I must admit I am unsure of the plant types. I just grabbed a few random ones from my local Maidenhead Aquatics. Couple at the back, and one growing from some bogwood.

The platys breeding could be an issue, I suppose I would have to decide if I wanna setup a new tank for them (unlikely), or just let the nippers get eaten (

).

I didn't realise that the Fighting Fish would not get on with the Guppies, ah well.. I suppose Guppies are just as colourful.

Well if I can't get a fighting fish I will complete the tank with a couple of neon tetras in a few weeks/months and then research a 'centrepiece' fish. I do realise the Bristlenose Pleco may need a bigger tank when he is fully grown, how long will this take?

I would like to say thanks in advance for all replied. This forum was great to read when I was trying to get my tank setup etc so glad i've finally joined!

 

[Shelster]

Your neons will also want to be at least 8 of them.

 

[the_lock_man]

what plants do you have some cat's eat some plants other dont as far as i know, you wont be able to add a betta (fighting fish) because it will chase and kill the guppies theres not a problem with 2 male platys and 1 female, besides babys (they bread like mad)

What Mike means there is that you may not be able to add a fighter, because it may chase and kill the guppies. There are numerous reports of fighters and guppies living happily together. There are also numerous reports of the fighter being stoopid enough to think that the guppies are also fighters. It all depends on the temperament of the individual fighter. Since this is not something you can control, it's probably not worth risking the guppies by adding the fighter.

Male platies, indeed all male poecilid livebearers think about two things only. Can I eat it? Can I mate with it? Clearly in the case of a female platy, the answer to Q2 is yes. Both males will be constantly pestering her, and it's not unheard of that they could both pester her into an early grave. Ideally, you should have a ratio of 1:3 males:females, but if you can swap one of the males for another female, it will be a HUGE help.

This, obviously, will increase the fry problem, as they will both be producing 30ish fry every 4-6weeks. In the wild, the majority of the fry get eaten, often by the other platies. As well as being sex-obsessed, livebearers are seriously bad parents. Don't fall into the trap of projecting human values onto the fish - if they don't care about their fry, why should you? In a planted tank, some fry will survive to adulthood. In an open tank, the chances are that all the fry will be eaten. I never even saw a platy fry when I kept them.

The alternative, of course, is to swap your female for another male, in which case your chances of getting fry are somewhat reduced!

You said about maybe setting up a separate fry tank for the platy fry. If you really want a fighter (and who can blame you), why don't you set up a separate tank for a fighter?

 

[LeFondre]

Ok guys, a quick update as I did read all the advice, just haven't logged on since. I decided against the Betta, and can always (as suggested) setup a Betta tank in the future if I continue this hobby even further.
 
I have just added to the tank.. I went for a Male Blue Dwarf Gourami.
 
So current stocking for my 64L:
 
1x Dwarf Gourami
1x Bristlenose Pleco
4x Male Guppys
3x Platys (1F, 2M - the female looks up the duff)
 
My tanks nicely over a month old and all tests are showing no issues.
 
I obviously am very close to being full (if not already). Could I even sneak another fish in, and what kind would you go for with this setup? I have wood, and plenty of plants in the tank.
 
I have been feeding flake food daily, and occasional pellets/veg for the baby BN Plec. Gonna get some freeze dried bloodworms/brine shrimp now I have the Gourami.

 

[LeFondre]

Also, I should have checked before, but I live in a Hard water area. Should that be a good thing/bad thing for any aspects of my tank?

 

[LeFondre]

I thought I would share a photo to make this a bit more interesting. 
 
Just to get an idea of the tanks 'look', I know its not the best. I will get some nicer ones soon.
 
 
 

 

[the_lock_man]

Difficult call on another fish, but I would err on the side of caution. I suspect that you won't see many platy fry, as there aren't too many places for the fry to hide, but it is a possibility.
 
The DG and BNPlec will be fairly big fish for a tank of that size.
 
Your platies and guppies live naturally in hardwater, so shouldn't be a problem. With other fish from softwater areas, so long as you acclimate them to their new environment correctly, they should adapt fine.

 

[TekFish]

Not sure if this will help or not but the plant on the bogwood is Java Fern [Microsorum Pteropus], the plant behind is Green Cabomba [Cabomba Aquatica] and the blant over the other side is a Vallisneria species. Just to help.
 
Tek oot.

 

[LeFondre]

Difficult call on another fish, but I would err on the side of caution. I suspect that you won't see many platy fry, as there aren't too many places for the fry to hide, but it is a possibility.
 
The DG and BNPlec will be fairly big fish for a tank of that size.
 
Your platies and guppies live naturally in hardwater, so shouldn't be a problem. With other fish from softwater areas, so long as you acclimate them to their new environment correctly, they should adapt fine.

Theres some small areas within in the rocks, and some the plants are quite 'dense'. Shes looked chubby for a good 3-4 weeks now though. So maybe she isnt? 
 
I will have to make a decision on a new tank if the BN Pleco gets too big, which won't be a bad thing as i'm enjoying this anyway

Not sure if this will help or not but the plant on the bogwood is Java Fern [Microsorum Pteropus], the plant behind is Green Cabomba [Cabomba Aquatica] and the blant over the other side is a Vallisneria species. Just to help.
 
Tek oot.

Haha nice, thank you very much. Will keep this noted for future reference.
 
I am just keeping the lights on 8 hours a day and they seem to remain green, but some of them are quite new, and the tank has half 'day' and half 'night/blue' lights, so the left of the tank gets the force of the blue light, and the right hand side gets the 'white' light. Will this affect growth? Will the blue light help in anyway?
 
I have also randomly purchased a small bottle of 'plant feeder' , is this actually useful, or a gimmick?

 

[the_lock_man]

Shes looked chubby for a good 3-4 weeks now though. So maybe she isnt? 

 
Oh, she is. Platies and indeed all common livebearers are more sex-obsessed than a spotty 16year-old from Essex.

 

[LeFondre]

Shes looked chubby for a good 3-4 weeks now though. So maybe she isnt? 

 
Oh, she is. Platies and indeed all common livebearers are more sex-obsessed than a spotty 16year-old from Essex.

Haha nice.
 
Is there a chance she will give birth and the fry will be eaten so quick I wont even notice?
 
If one or two survived it would be kind of cool, but completely ruins the chance of ever adding further fish to the current aquarium.

 

[the_lock_man]

 

Shes looked chubby for a good 3-4 weeks now though. So maybe she isnt? 

 
Oh, she is. Platies and indeed all common livebearers are more sex-obsessed than a spotty 16year-old from Essex.

Haha nice.
 
Is there a chance she will give birth and the fry will be eaten so quick I wont even notice?
 
If one or two survived it would be kind of cool, but completely ruins the chance of ever adding further fish to the current aquarium.

 
Definitely. I used to keep platies and mollies, and never once saw a fry. I reckon that's best anyway, otherwise you have all sorts of problems finding someone to take the fry.

 

[LeFondre]

So I want to give it a month or 6 weeks, and get ONE more fish. A 'centrepiece' fish, similar to the Dwarf Gourami I guess. I am prepared to do many water changes if people do feel this verges on 'overstocked', I am doing 3 a week as it is anyway just to be on the safe side. 
 
What could I go for please?
 
I know a Cory is not suitable alone. Unfortunately.